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Paul Pogba's hands are going to be full after he became a father for the first time recently. But you can bet the Frenchman will still make time to sit down with his iPad and study.

It might surprise a few people, but Pogba loves analysing clips of his fellow professionals - past and present - in a bid to take his game to the next level.

Take his penalty technique. Back in 2011, Pogba saw how Neymar found success with a delayed run-up at Santos and practised it in training before using it on the big stage at Anfield.

United were playing Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final and Sir Alex Ferguson was among the 12,000 watching on. Yet Pogba thought nothing of testing it out on goalkeeper Tyrell Bedford.

After a delayed run-up, Pogba paused as the goalkeeper dived to his left and rolled the ball into the net before wheeling away in celebration. But referee David Coote thought it was unsporting and, after ordering a re-take, showed Pogba a second yellow card.

That did not deter Pogba and he used that same staggered run-up to put United 1-0 in front from the spot against Brighton on Saturday. Nearly eight years on. It was a just reward for the 25-year-old, who won the penalty and led United's press when they were out of possession in the early stages.

Pogba's technique does get United fans worried - some at Old Trafford groaned as he started shuffling his feet - but he has taken note and it was noticeable how there were 'only' six seconds between the referee's whistle and the ball hitting the back of the net.

The midfielder was mobbed in celebration but he made sure he paid tribute to his newly-born child by pulling out the 'rock the baby' celebration. Again putting his own spin on something he had seen someone else do.

There is one thing borrowing a penalty technique from Neymar or a goal celebration from Bebeto, though. Quite another modelling your game on a player.

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But Frank Lampard has had an indirect influence on Pogba - ever since the Chelsea legend's former team-mate, Michael Carrick, sat the Frenchman down to show him how he could also 'kill' games by arriving late into the box last season.

"The manager told me to get in the box, get goals, because you will score goals if you're in the box," Pogba told reporters last week. "My best example is Frank Lampard. He was the one who made those runs and he created a lot of chances, he scored a lot of goals."

After scoring 10 goals this season, Pogba has now equalled his best scoring campaign at Juventus and will surely aim to double that total come May. There are still 15 games left of the league season, after all, and United have cup ties against Arsenal and PSG to look forward to.

The last time United had a 20-goal-a-season central midfielder was Paul Scholes back in 2003. Pogba is in with a shout of being the next.